The intellectual mission of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures combines the study of foreign languages, literatures and cultures within specific national traditions with the investigation of literary and cultural theory and practice across national and disciplinary boundaries. International by definition, MLC offers elementary through advanced language instruction in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish; elementary language instruction in Portuguese; and advanced coursework in literature, culture and comparative literature. The Department also houses the interdisciplinary Russian Studies Program. Faculty and students examine cultural productions including the "Great Books," popular film, visual art and nonliterary texts in relation to their historical contexts and with a view toward questioning traditional assumptions about gender, ethnicity and nationality.